Never-Never Land
by DevilsWatchOverUs
Summary: CaptainHookmon has been fighting Petermon in the more recent years of his life. He's always been the bad guy, while Petermon the good. But is that really how the roles go, or is their more to the two Digimon than meets the eye? (-CaptainHookmon, Petermon, Tinkermon, Babydmon, Panjymon, Mermaimon-)
1. Chapter 1

The Captain wasn't so much an enemy as a joyful adversary. A rival who would be happy to fight an was fun to tease, but at the end of the day, everyone would walk home. Or fly, depending on who you were.

Petermon's dagger sliced through the small Digimon below him.

"You broke your promise!" he snarled.

"I-I'm s-sorry! P-please st-st-stop!" but he would not stop. Petermon would beat the In-Training Digimon until it was unconscious. When it awoke, he would treat it as if nothing ever happened. The punishment had been given, and Petermon was always willing to give someone another chance.

Tinkermon's bell "dinged" beside him. The little fairy Digimon's wings making a sound like wind through wind chimes.

That was, perhaps, the only comfort the In-Training could have.

**~X~Never-Never-Land~X~**

"Captain!" the Babydmon chirped, quickly running (well, floating) around the barrels, ropes, and other Digimon to get to his destination. "Captain! Troub-oof!" the In-Training tripped (clumsy little thing) on some rope, falling face-first into the floorboards. It sniffled, trying not to cry.

"Babydmon," a gentle but powerful voice teased, "you little klutz." Kind hands picked up the little Digimon and brought it to their owners face. The smaller Digimon, with tearful eyes, looked up at his captain. The soft blue eyes he looked into were caring, and a bit concerned.

"CaptainHookmon…" it sniffled, shaking its head, trying not to show weakness in front of his beloved captain. It hated being so little, so useless! And now here it was, being held by its captain, crying like a little baby!

"What's the matter, Babydmon? You seemed frantic," CaptainHookmon placed a kiss to the little ones forehead, his fingers lightly stroking down its back to comfort it.

"Trouble, Captain!" he sniffled, "I saw Tinkermon! I know I did, she's flying around here!" The look on the Captain's face went from comforting to concerned surprise. He set the little Digimon down and turned to his crew.

"All hands on deck!" he yelled, his previously gentle voice now demanding and stern, powerful enough to vibrate the floor he stood on.

"Aye!" his crew filed up to their captain, who bolted up to the quarter deck.

"Keep y'er eyes out for those pests, Tinkermon and Petermon!" he yelled down when he was certain everyone was there. "Get out y'er weapons and prepare for battle!"

"Aye!" the Digimon yelled in reply, scrambling about the deck to prepare weapons. CaptainHookmon turned to his first mate, who had been busy steering the ship.

"Panjyamon, what do you think?" he asked the white lion Digimon. "What will the young fool do this time?" Panjyamon just shook his head.

"Captain, the boy is an unpredictable, immature menace. If I could predict him, I'd have deleted him. Or told you how," he mused. "I suggest creating a plan of action." The Captain nodded.

"Keep an eye on the ship," he turned away. "I will retire to my cabin for now. If you see the boy, sound the alarm."

"Aye, Captain," Panjyamon said, not taking his eyes off the deck before him.

Babydmon watched as the Captain returned to his quarters, and silently scolded himself for being so weak. But he knew the Captain didn't like it when he did that, so instead, the little Digimon went to go see where it could be even the least bit useful. As the Captain always said, 'you're only as useless as you think you are.'

**~X~Never-Never-Land~X~**

The Digital Duel has sailed the waters of the Digital World as long as CaptainHookmon could remember. Yet, in recent years, one, bratty Champion has threatened to sink her more than once. It pained him to think of his rival.

A Pied Piper of sorts, controlling young Digimon who slept to do its bidding, no matter the cost. Mercilessly beating these children- his friends, he called them. The unjust cruelty and brutality the little monster portrayed almost- almost- made him want to slit his own throat. CaptainHookmon could simply not stand it. But the worst part?

The worst part was that HE was pegged as the villain, while Petermon was a glorious hero of all young Digimon.

It was sick.

CaptainHookmon had never done anything worthy of being called a "villain." Sure, he'd stolen, cheated, and lied in his time. He'd robbed the rich, but nay would he keep the treasures all to himself. Oh no, he knew others out there needed it more. He only kept enough to pay for upkeep and rations. Was this wrong?

Sure, he was a liar. In fact, he was an excellent liar. He knew just what anyone wanted to hear, but was it not better to tell a small lie than a horrid truth? No, he didn't lie to those who absolutely needed the truth, but to those that didn't…

Perhaps he had battled a ruthless opponent in his time, perhaps taking an unjust route in battle. But could he be blamed? It was survival of the fittest, and if they did not play by the rules, what law said he should? He'd felt bad, of course. A win wasn't a win if it was unfair.

For all his sins, no matter how he could justify them, he felt bad. He truly and honestly felt _bad_. CaptainHookmon knew better than to dwell on this, though every now and again, the memories of lies he'd told and people he'd mistakenly hurt would come flooding back to him.

This, unfortunately, was one of those times.

Damn that Petermon.

An ache was slowly rising in his chest, moving its way to his head. He threw off his hat, coat, and boots, and fell hard onto his bed. Laying on his back, watching the ceiling, seemed more calming. Like this, he could feel the ocean waves rock the ship like a mother rocking her child's cradle.

Maybe that sounded a little weird, but to him, that's what it was.

CaptainHookmon tried to keep his breathing steady. He found that if he stayed as calm as possible, the pain wasn't as bad. The memories weren't as vicious. If he could just forget them again, he'd be fine to return… but…

His hand moved idly up to his scar. The memories fought back with a sledgehammer to the doors of his conscious. And it hurt. Real, physical pain shot through his head, and he clutched it, groaning. It was a pain he'd felt time and again, one he had no cure for, and one that he could never get used to.

Depression, his crew called it. He suffered from depression.

The word was like salt on an open wound. He knew better than to think it made him a weak fool; it was real, not made up. It was an actual sickness that plagued both Digimon and humans. Some had it worse, others, not as bad.

Today, his was particularly bad. Which was annoying, since he had a battle to prepare for. And he'd thought today had started so well, to.

Trying to get up to prepare, he felt a pain like a dagger to his chest. His attempt to stand was pathetically defeated as he flopped back onto the bed, groaning and moving his hands from his head to his chest.

Okay. Not doing that again anytime soon.

At this point, all he could do was wait. It helped to think to himself, though. About his crew, about how silly this situation was, about his little friend Babydmon (who he was certain was close to Digivolving, but he wanted the little fella to be surprised when it happened), and about his past adventures. Treasure, epic battles, all the Digimon he'd met…

But one thought kept creeping back into his mind.

Damn that Petermon.


	2. Chapter 2

CaptainHookmon cursed when he awoke, knowing by the steady tide that night had fallen. He actually had the audacity to fall asleep after warning his crew of danger?! At least the pain was gone. Jumping up, the Captain pulled on his boots, coat, and hat, then nearly bolted out of his quarters.

Panjyamon was still steering, though his tail waved in greeting to the Captain.

"Has anything…?" he didn't bother finishing, his first mate knew what he was asking.

"Tinkermon had the nerve to dart around some of the crew members earlier," he responded cooly, "but she didn't stick around for more time than it took to send a few Digimon overboard."

CaptainHookmon's hand met his forehead with an audible smack.

"You'd think they'd learn by now, wouldn't you?" he mumbled, slowly moving his hand away.

"You'd think," Panjyamon chuckled.

"I'm heading out to the island," he idly announced, walking down on deck.

"But captain-"

"I'll be fine," he waved a dismissive hand to his first mate, who smiled.

"Mermaimon?" the lion-Digimon chuckled.

"Aye. Mermaimon," CaptainHookmon replied, very matter-of-factly. With that, the Captain quickly hopped into one of the life boats and began a slow descend into the water. The boat finally hit the waves with a loud splash.

He didn't know how many times he'd done this. Sometimes, it was to bring young Digimon from (like Babydmon) "Never-Ever Land" (which is what Petermon had named the island). Other times, it was to seek out Tinkermon and try to convince her- with all his gentlemanly class- where Petermon's hideout was. And other times still, times now more often, it was to visit the Ancient Lagoon, where a young Mermaimon would be awaiting his attention.

He smiled at the memory. The two had met when Petermon had tossed him into the lagoon, hoping the Digimon there would give him a few scratches before he got back to his ship. Instead, a Seadramon had been lying in wait (it must have come from the channel connecting the lagoon to the Net Ocean), and nearly deleted him. In a blur, another Digimon had come to his aid, and then everything had gone black.

Beyond that, he remembered waking up on the rocks of the lagoon with the beautiful Digimon staring down at him. He'd been bewildered at first, not to mention cautious and suspicious. Alright, so it was longer than "at first." He was actually terrified of the Mermaimon, knowing their cruel tricks on sailors. But she'd told him she too disliked Petermon, her "brutality" being merely play whilst his was sheer cruelty. He hadn't believed her at first. It was months before he dared near the lagoons' shores.

But with time, their uneasy relationship changed. He'd gotten bolder one day, leaning over the waters edge to search for her, and she'd pulled him in. When he surfaced, she'd swum around him in lazy circles, giggling and brushing against him every now and again. Every time he'd try to leave the water, she would pull him back in, laughing all the while.

Finally, when he'd be to tired to swim anymore, he'd laid on one of the rocks, legs mostly still in the water, and she'd jumped up onto him. It was startling at first, but the surprise quickly changed to passion when she pressed a kiss to his lips. He'd kissed back, resting his hands on her hips, completely engulfed by bliss.

Chuckling, he took a moment to dip his hand in the cool ocean waters around him. Bringing his hand back up to rub the water on his face, he sighed. He knew he was probably blushing like a young boy with a crush. It was sort of like that, too.

His boat caught on the sandy bottom of the islands' beach, and he swiftly hopped out to pull it onto shore, being mindful of his surroundings (no need to repeat the Seadramon episode, after all). Once the boat was mostly out of the water, he began hiking into the forest in the direction of the Ancient Lagoon. It was actually a rather long trek, but he didn't mind. It gave him time to think- not that he really needed anymore of that today.

After a little while, he stepped out of the woods and onto a slate of rock that made up a part of the lagoons' shore. The Captain walked quietly to the water, kneeled down, then dipped his hand in. For a moment, he watched the ripples in the water, seeing how it moved his reflection, but is attention soon changed when he glimpsed something move beneath the surface.

Slowly, the Captain pulled his hand from the water, only to have another, more petite hand slide into his. Smiling, he pulled gently, Mermaimon breaking the surface of the water and rising up so their faces were equal. Without taking his eye off hers, he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a sweet kiss to it. The other Digimon smiled.

"Hello, Captain," she said, nudging him back and pulling herself partially onto the shore. He happily obliged, leaning back and pulling her upper body into his. Her laughter, like wind chimes, danced to his ears. The sound was intoxicating, and he idly stroked a hand down her back, resting it where her skin ended and her scales began. He liked it when she wasn't wearing all of her "battle gear." It made her seem more fragile, like a treasure he needed to protect from those with poor intentions.

The Captain wondered for a moment if that made him a hypocrite.

"Hello, my dear," he finally said once she'd gotten comfortable. "I've been dying to see you all day." She pressed a kiss to his scar, clearly delighted by the announcement.

"Where have you been?" her voice was soft, teasing, and it made his heart skip a beat. Good God, it really was like a little boy with a crush. "I've missed you."

"Do forgive me," he returned the kiss to her forehead, on the gem that hanged there. "I've been a bit busy lately, and things have been slightly more hectic than usual."

"Petermon," she had stated it more than asked it, her voice taking on an annoyed tone.

"Aye," the Captain replied, his hands twitching from the dark feeling that came with the utterance of the fools name. Mermaimon seemed to pick up on this, playfully tugging his hat off to distract him. He was thankful for the gesture, but he never liked to watch her have all the fun without him. The Captain leaned forward a bit and caught the tip of her hat in his teeth, gently tugging it off. She laughed and nuzzled into his now vulnerable neck.

He moaned softly, trying to keep himself under control. He was nothing if not a gentleman, was he not? But it was easier said than done, as the hand resting on her waist applied a bit more pressure. Her quiet laughter was like music to his ears. Lord, he wished he could stay there forever. Here, on this beautiful island with his beloved, and many young Digimon he could take care of.

But alas, he knew that was impossible. Sailing the Net Ocean was in his blood, and he could never stay in one place for very long. The only reason he had stayed here for the years he had was to stop Petermon, or, at least, save the young Digimon he controlled.

A nip to his ear brought him back from his unappealing thoughts. Mermaimon had wrapped her arms around his torso, idly nuzzling him before she'd realized he'd drifted off. Thankfully, she wasn't insulted by it. Mermaimon knew he was quite the thinker, and didn't mind it.

The Captain moved his hand from her waist and began to idly toy with her braid. He knew he'd have to leave soon, so he decided that he'd wasted enough time playing with her. One last thing, and then he'd be back off to his ship.

The pirate Digimon placed a kiss to her head. When she glanced up curiously, he began to trail kisses from her forehead, slowly moving down until…

His lips brushed hers, and in that moment, he gave up his gentlemanly demeanor. The Captain pressed his lips to hers, tongue swiping a taste and requesting entry. She didn't hesitate to oblige.

'I need to leave soon,' he reminded himself. 'I need to return to the ship to check on the crew, to make sure Babydmon is okay. I need to…' his thoughts began to fade, and all he was aware of was the passionate kiss he shared with his beloved, Mermaimon.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was high and the waters calm. Digimon aboard the Digital Duel were moving about the deck, occasionally glancing up to their captain, who had relived Panjyamon from the wheel in the early morning. Many wondered why they bothered moving the ship at all; the only place it ever went was around the island.

Babydmon idly floated about the bowsprit, watching the island from his secluded spot. Other Digimon rarely came up here (most of them were to big, anyways), so it was a nice spot for the In-Training to think.

And to look out for Tinkermon, of course. He had a personal quarrel with the little fairy Digimon. One that had started back when he was a member of Petermon's "Never Ever Land." He remembered quite vividly his time there…

_Enter Flashback…_

"You broke your promise!" he snarled.

"I-I'm s-sorry! P-please st-st-stop!" but he would not stop. The Champion Digimon beat and cut the In-Training until it was lights out; the last thing he'd heard was the chime of Tinkermon's bell and wings. It wasn't consoling. It was frightening.

When he awoke, the dreaded Digimon was still there, sitting on his belly. He tried to shoo it away, but that only made it more annoying, chiming and dinging madly. Instead, he took another approach, turning away from the fairy and towards the trees. That only made it mad. It tugged at his little wings, angrily chiming about him.

"Go away, you stupid bug!" Babydmon snapped, but the fast movement re-opened a cut on his lip, and he hissed at the stinging.

That, however, was not the only thing that stung him.

Tinkermon had rammed at least six of her little spears into his back. The In-Training Digimon let out a pained scream that was abruptly cut off. It fell to the ground, tears pouring from its little eyes, unable to move or breath.

'I don't wanna die!' it thought, tears flowing from it's eyes like waterfalls. 'I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Mommy! Daddy! Help me!' the thought were in vain though, as it had left its parents for this some time ago. They were far, far away from Never Ever Land, and the little Babydmon would probably never see them again. The thought just made more tears flow.

Suddenly, Tinkermon was flying frantically about, throwing her little spears at something he couldn't see. The worry on her face told him that whatever it was, it wasn't Petermon. Still, it wasn't good, either.

"I don't wanna die!" he didn't know how he managed, or even if he could be understood, but the words hissed from his throat between sobs and poor attempts to breath. "I don't wanna die!"

Something hit Tinkermon, and it was flung back. The slow fading of chimes told him that she was running away.

"I don't wanna…" it tried to say again, but then felt a hand on its head.

"You're going to be okay, little one. I won't let you die," he'd never heard this voice before. It was… soothing. He didn't know why, but the voice comforted him. Babydmon tried desperately to look at the new Digimon, but could barely manage a twitch.

It felt a hand hold its back now, while another carefully pulled the spears from his back. Once they were all out, he could move a little more, but all he could manage to do was sob and gulp for air like a fish out of water.

Gentle hands picked him up and pressed him to the others chest. Finally, Babydmon could look up at his savior! His big, wet, hurt purple eyes moved up to see perhaps one of the most frightening Digimon he'd ever seen. This Digimon had silver hair, one eye hidden by an eye patch where a scar poked out, sharp teeth, and a big, mean-looking stitched scar under his good eye.

Babydmon almost started to cry harder and squirm, but then he looked into the bigger Digimon's one eye. It wasn't mean. It wasn't hostile. Suddenly, the little Digimon felt… safe. Like he had when he was with his mom and dad.

"Is it okay, Captain?" a big, scary lion-Digimon asked. Babydmon took one look at its teeth and stated to shake, nuzzling into it's saviors shirt to try and hide, sobbing more.

"Panjyamon! Shoo! You're scaring him!" his savior snapped, then looked back down at him. "Shh, shh, it's okay, little one. Panjyamon just looks scary. He's just a big fluffy white kitty," he heard Panjyamon grunt in annoyance. "Come now," he said, stroking his little wings, "what's your name, little one?"

"B-B-Babyd-dmon," he sniffled.

"Babydmon?" the bigger Digimon echoed. "Hi, Babydmon. I'm CaptainHookmon, but most everyone just calls me Captain, okay?" Captain pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"C-Captain?" he stuttered. "THE C-CaptainHookmon?"

"Aye, the CaptainHookmon."

So this was the 'villain' Petermon was always talking about? The one he'd given scars? His purple eyes glanced over the scar on his cheek, then looked at his eye. Had Petermon done that?

"I have to go back to my ship," Captain announced, kneeling down and setting him onto the ground. "Be safe, okay? I don't want you making Tinkermon mad anymore, understand?"

"Captain-"

"Hush," Captain cut Panjyamon off, then turned back to Babydmon. "I have to go now. Goodbye, Babydmon," he couldn't bring himself to respond to the bigger Digimon, so he just watched him. CaptainHookmon was almost stepping back into the forest after Panjyamon, but then…

"No!" Babydmon clumsily floated after them. "I don't wanna be here anymore! I don't like it here! Petermon and Tinkermon are mean! I wanna go with you! Take me with you, Captain!" there was a pause, and for a moment, he thought the bigger Digimon would reject him. 'Just like back home,' he thought.

But when Captain turned around, a friendly smile on his face, Babydmon knew he wouldn't reject him. CaptainHookmon opened his arms and grinned.

"Welcome to the crew, Babydmo-oof!" his savior was a bit taken aback when he launched himself right into his chest, snuggling into his shirt.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he chirped. "I'll be the best crew member ever!" he heard both Captain and Panjyamon laughing, and the three headed back to the ship.

_Exit Flashback…_

Captain had done so much for him, and Babydmon could hardly repay him. If he could just Digivolve, then maybe he could pay his beloved captain back for saving him! He could finally go to the island with him, fight along side him against Petermon, and finally show that stupid bug-nymph Tinkermon what he was really made of!

That's all Babydmon wanted. To give back what his captain gave to him.

And he would. One day.


	4. Chapter 4

"He's here!" shouted Panjyamon, banging on the door to his captian's quarters. "CaptainHookmon! Petermon ahoy!" the doors burst open, and the lion-Digimon stumbled back. A warning shot fired, and CaptainHookmon stepped out onto the quarterdeck.

"Avast! Where is he? Where is Petermon?!" his blue eye shone with anger and resentment for his rival.

"Hi'ya, Captain!" the Digimon leaned on the nearest shrouds, taking his hat off and bowing in mid-air to the other. "How've you been? Miss me?"

"Aye, I missed ya," the Captain snarled. "Rage Giga Anchor!" he raised the anchor-like spear into the air at Petermon, and the commotion on deck suddenly ceased. Even the cocky brat moved back a bit. CaptainHookmon's intimidating air fell around the Digital Duel like a thick smog, suffocating any attempts to taunt or toy with him.

"Cleaver," Petermon hissed, backing away. "Alright then, Captain, I'll just be on my way…" he pretended to walk away (still in mid-air), but quickly flipped around. "Twinkle Shot!" his knife flashed, shooting straight for the Captain.

He skillfully blocked the attack with his Rage Giga Anchor, battling the ownerless sword until he was able to trick it. The sword stabbed into the wooden wall behind him. Without hesitation, he yanked it out and pointed it at Petermon.

"Want you're prissy little sword back?" he spat. "Come get it, little boy!"

"My pleasure!" Petermon swiftly flew down, taking the sword from his rival with ease. CaptainHookmon had no intention to battle an unarmed opponent, after all.

"Snipe Sting!" gun, anchor, and sword clashed with a metallic 'twang' as the two rivals dueled with everything they had. This time, there would be a winner who walked away, and a loser who did not.

Both seemed to know this. Both were aware that this battle wasn't going to be like the games they normally played. This was all out war, and this time, there could only be one victor.

Despite being smaller and physically weaker than CaptainHookmon, Petermon was more swift and agile. Finally, his sword struck the Captain's hand, making him loose grip on his gun. As he fumbled, Petermon rammed the sword into the bracelet holding the Rage Giga Anchor on his opponents arm.

CaptainHookmon was defenseless against a head-on attack. And that's exactly what Petermon had in mind. He tossed the weapons aside, flying up high, staring down at the Captain. His red eyes were merciless.

"It ends now!" he called.

"Let it be done," the Captain snarled, all to aware of his own fate. 'Forgive me,' he thought, closing his eye.

"Twinkle… SHOT!" Petermon's sword darted straight for him…

"CAPTAIN!" a small voice screeched, and he opened his eye… just in time to see little Babydmon get in the way of the sword.

"NO!" he barely got the word out before a blinding light knocked him back. "B-Babydmon?! Is that…?!" when the light subsided, all CaptainHookmon could do was stare.

"Babydmon… you…" he grinned, staring at the Digimon that had caught the sword in its teeth. "You Digivolved!"

"Aye, Captain!" Babydmon spit out the sword and threw it back to Petermon. "I'm Dracomon now!"

The Captain wanted to hug the little dragon-Digimon, but refrained.

"Aye! Good on you, second-mate!" he called.

"S-second mate?!" the Rookie echoed, staring at his captain in shock.

"Aye! Second mate, Dracomon!" he picked up his long pistol. "Now, I thought I heard some chimes about deck! Go check it out," his blue eye turned to his surprised opponent. "I've a duel to complete."

**~X~Never-Never Land~X~**

'Second mate!' thought the dragon-Digimon as it rushed down on deck. 'Second mate! I'm finally useful to the Captain! I'm finally a Dracomon!' tears of joy fell from his eyes as he searched about the deck.

"Tinkermon!" he bellowed, almost scaring himself from his own powerful voice. "Tinkermon, where are you? Where are you, bug-nymph?" he yelled. A spear flew at his nose, but it bounced off his thick scales. "Is that all you've got? Wow, you're really weak!"

His statement was met with furious chiming and a red glow. Tinkermon rose up from behind one of the barrels and stood on it, aiming her spear at him. It was at this poin the realized that she was defenseless against him. Dracomon grinned, and Tinkermon seemed to get the message. Before she could fly far, he attacked.

"Baby Breath!" the heated air battered the little Tinkermon, forcing it to fall crashing onto deck. Before she could get up and flee, he stepped on her back.

"You hurt me when I was little," he snarled. "You all promised me fun forever. You all promised I could play and play, with no one to judge me and no one to hate me!" by now, he was yelling at the little fairy-Digimon. "You…" his horns began to glow, a few stray tears falling from it's red eyes. "…You broke your PROMISE!" he tossed Tinkermon up into the air and screamed, "G SHURUNEN!"

A beam fired from his mouth hitting the little Tinkermon head-on. After the attack ended, she was nowhere in sight. 'Serves you right, bug-nymph,' he though, turning to the quarterdeck. Panjyamon and the other crew members watched their Captain battle from afar, knowing better than to interfere.

'Captain,' Dracomon thought, watching the battle intensely, 'let this be the end of it. Let this be the end of it… for good.'


	5. Chapter 5

He wasn't sure what had happened. At some point, everything had gone black. Actually, it still was. Had he lost? Was this… was this death? Voices murmured in the distance, whispers far away from where he was…

…Wait…

Those voices weren't far away. They were near, speaking swiftly. Concerned? Scared? He had to admit he was at the moment. All the voices, speaking so close yet impossible for him to understand…

"Captain!" the voice shook, as if the speaker was crying. It was like… music…

"Mermaimon?" he groaned, opening is one eye just a bit. Above him was his beloved, her pale blue eyes were wet, and tears fell onto his face.

"Captain!" she immediately wrapped her arms around him, making the Captain aware of how sore he was. He didn't care, though.

"Captain, you're awake!" he could hear Panjyamon's voice, but was to weak to bother searching for where it came from.

"Aye… what… happened?" he asked, stroking Mermaimon's hair to consol her.

"It…" he paused. "There's no trace of Petermon, sir. No one saw him leave… we…" Panjyamon took a deep breath. "We think you've won, sir." The words took a while to sink in. For what seemed like hours, he just stared up into the blue sky, engulfed by complete silence. His crew seemed to cease speaking as well.

"…Captain?" Mermaimon's voice was still a little shaky, concerned, but full of triumph. "…You won, Captain. You beat Petermon," she touched her nose to his. "You're free."

The realization almost- almost- brought tears to his remaining eye. But he couldn't cry. Not in front of his crew, or in front of his beloved…

Hey, wait a second. What was she doing here, anyways?

"…How did you get on the boat?" the question visibly surprised Mermaimon, but it was followed by a chorus of laughter from her and the crew.

"Leave it to you to make a dramatic moment silly," she laughed, snuggling into his neck. "I heard the battle and swam here as fast as I could. Panjyamon helped me up after you blacked out." The Captain felt a twinge of jealousy and regret that he'd not be able to help her himself, but it was short lived.

With a grunt and a great deal of effort, CaptainHookmon pushed Mermaimon off him a bit, sitting up. In a swift but quite painful movement, he was standing and holding her bridle-style. She was greatly taken aback by that, only able to wrap her arms around his neck in order to hold on.

"Then it's about time we head into the island!" it took some effort to hold his beloved up and yell to the crew, but if anyone could fake being healthy, it was him. And he'd be damned if his crew knew him to be injured! "Dracomon," he turned to the dragon-Digimon who nodded in response.

"Aye, Captain!"

"I want you to go with Panjyamon to Tinkermon's Forest and search for other young Digimon," he huffed, trying not to stager. "Dracomon," he looked at the newly-Digivolved Rookie for a long moment, "I want you in charge on this. Young Digimon will trust you more."

"A-aye… C-Captain," the Rookie was to surprised to say much else.

"Should any of them ask to join us, you may accept them," CaptainHookmon grinned, "but don't ask them if they want to." Dracomon seemed to think about this for a moment before realization began to show on his face.

He ordered other Digimon to the other areas; to the Rookie Camp, Digifruit Tree, Virus Rock, and finally, Hook's Cove (which was named by Petermon after the Captain first arrived, using this area to drop anchor).

As his crew headed for the lifeboats, he leaned against the rails of the ship, still holding his beloved. He wanted to pay closer attention to them, but her idly toying with his hair was rather distracting. After everyone had finally left or gone back to work below deck, the Captain slid to the floor, mindful of the mermaid-Digimon he held in his arms.

He was breathing heavily with the effort it had taken to pretend to be okay for that long. He'd have continued, but it was only Mermaimon with him now. She'd seen him injured before; heck, she'd saved his life.

Her lips brushed against his cheek, and she smiled.

"Captain, you're a fool," she teased, kissing him on the forehead.

"Aye… a fool…" he panted, smiling back.

"Aye," she mocked, moving her arms from his neck to wrap around his lower torso. Her expression turned from playful to serious, concerning the Captain.

"Captain…" she mumbled, not looking directly at him. "Captain… you're free. You can leave the island now…" and he understood. He could leave the island, yes. But that would also mean leaving behind Mermaimon. A pang of guilt pierced his heart, and the once joyous moment turned bittersweet.

"Aye, Mermaimon," his words trailed off as he pressed a kiss to her lips. She eagerly pressed back, but he caught a taste of salt on her lips. It wasn't from the Net Ocean. She was crying again. "I hate to see you cry," he whispered, pulling back just enough to speak. "Please stop crying."

"I'm sorry, Captain," her voice wavered just slightly, and her grip tightened around him. "I don't want to lose you."

"The come with us," the Captain resolved, quite matter-of-factly.

"W-what?" she was greatly taken aback, pale eyes staring in surprise. His eyes did not waver.

"Come with us," he repeated, nodding. "You need me to say that again, my dear? Come wi-" he was abruptly cut off when she pressed a hard, demanding, grateful kiss to his lips, not even giving him enough time to assess that she'd managed to get her tongue in his mouth, too. He was pretty sure his mind stopped working for a good five minutes while she continued to kiss and thank him. Hell, maybe it was longer than that. He had no idea at this point.

"I will," she exclaimed. It might have been the first time she said it or the thousandth, be didn't know. "I'll come with you, Captain! I'll follow the Digital Duel wherever it leads me!"

"Aye," he finally managed to say, feeling like a bit of an idiot for not being able to speak sooner. "Then when the crew returns from the island, we'll set sail."

"To where, Captain?" she asked, amused.

"I don't know. To treasure, to adventure, to danger," he grinned, thinking of all the possibilities he had now that they were free from this retched place.

"Treasure? Adventure? Danger?" Mermaimon echoed, taunting him. "What sort of life is that?"

"A pirate's life, my dear," he chuckled. "And it's a pirate's life for me."

**~X~Never-Never Land~X~**

_Epilogue_

The Digital Duel set sail a few days later, filled with young Digimon who wanted to join the crew. Some in gratitude, others hoping for a chance to return home someday. Whatever the reason, they quickly became fond of the Captain (whom Panjyamon would scold for 'coddling' all the little babies he was so nuts over). When the ship finally left, no one was looking back.

New adventures were ahead, just waiting for CaptainHookmon to embark on them. Mermaimon followed the ship, occasionally singing to the crew or hopping into one of the partially-lowered lifeboats to rest.

And the Captain? He never took his eyes off the sea laid out before him, knowing that if he did, he would just be paddling backwards. Whatever lay ahead… he would meet it head-on, just like he always had. Just like he always would.

Red eyes gleamed from the island, watching the ship sail off into the distance. A light 'dinging' could be heard, like wind through wind chimes.


End file.
